Musical adaption
of Little Women

Portadown Phoenix Players will premiere the first ever amateur production of ‘Little Women – the musical’ today (Thursday) in Portadown Town Hall.

This is a show which has been praised by critics for its ambition in adapting such a well-known story for the stage – six generations have read this story, this one will sing it.

The very talented cast has been led this summer by the Director of the show, David O’Toole, who himself began acting with The Phoenix Players back in 1993.

Phoenix Players’ production of Little Women will run until Sunday, September 2.

Tickets are available at Winnies Newsagent, Woodhouse Street, Portadown or you can pay at the door.

All evening tickets are £10 and the evening show starts at 7.30pm.

For enquiries about tickets you can contact 07788 663 544.

Little Women embodies the complete theatrical experience, guaranteeing a night filled with laughter, tears and a lifting of the spirit. The powerful score soars with the sounds of personal discovery, heartache and hope – as an audience you will be mesmerised.

David’s acting roles have been both diverse and exciting these include Cobweb Spider in The Snow Queen, Orestes in Electra, and Michael in Dancing at Lughnasa and Mr Manningham in Gaslight. David has also directed many plays such as The Hostage and The Haunting of Hill House and musicals such as West Side Story, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Godspell, Oklahoma, Oliver and Beauty and the Beast.

The Phoenix Players are delighted to also welcome for the first time Mark Dougherty as musical director for the show. Mark was Musical Director for Riverdance, the Irish dance phenomenon, for four years, travelling all over the world and premiering the show in Japan, Hong Kong and China, where it played in The Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Other MD credits include Dancing Shoes (GOH, Belfast), On Eagles Wing (Odyssey Arena, Belfast), and most of the major musicals across the UK and Ireland – West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Les Miserables, Cabaret, Chicago etc.

He has worked with Wayne Sleep, Bonnie Langford, Kim Criswell, Johnny Mathis, Howard Keel, Suzi Quatro, John Barrowman, Van Morrison, Shane McGowan and a variety of other international artists including Northern Irish born Eamonn McCrystal – winner of three Emmy Awards.

The cast were recently visited by Lord Mayor Julie Flaherty, who was greatly impressed by the quality and performance of the cast and she enthusiastically wished them well for all of their forthcoming performances in Portadown Town Hall.